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American Morning
The First Debate; Debate Numbers; Vioxx Recall
Aired October 01, 2004 - 8:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The only consistent about my opponent's position is that he's been inconsistent.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've had one position, one consistent position, that Saddam Hussein was a threat, there was a right way to disarm him and a wrong way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: So many messages on mixed messages. Is straight talk the standard for winning the first presidential debate?
U.S. and Iraqi forces trying to wipe out the insurgency in the Iraqi city of Samarra. A brigade-size defensive still going on.
And can big corporations be trusted to conduct medical studies on the products they sell? Fallout from the Vioxx decision on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING.
COLLINS: And good morning to you.
Last night's presidential debate is the big story of the morning. Voters finally got a chance to see the candidates together. And Bill Hemmer is in Columbus, Ohio, where he watched the debate with a group of independent voters.
Bill, good morning. What did they have to say to you?
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: They had quite a bit to say, actually, Heidi. And a lot of them looking forward to debate number two.
Here's the headline this morning, "Columbus Dispatch," the main paper in central Ohio. Pretty typical headline below the fold: "Debate Spar on War in Iraq." What I find interesting, though, are the quotes they used from John Kerry and George Bush.
For the senator: "This president has made, I regret to say, a colossal error of judgment." For the president: "He changes positions, John Kerry, and you cannot change positions in this war on terror." Truly the focus last night of what we all watched here in Columbus, Ohio.
We watched that with a group of 22 mostly undecided voters from the central Ohio area, and we gave them meters, from one to 10, numbers on a meter in front of them so they could gauge their reaction about how positive they felt about what they were seeing, what they were hearing down in Miami, Florida. A bit later this hour, we'll show you what we find out, and the differences also that we found between the genders, men and women. So we'll have that for you.
John Edwards is with us today. Dan Bartlett from the Bush camp also. Their reaction the morning after. And Bill Schneider looks at these polls that went out last night, a Gallup and CNN.
We went out and took a snapshot about -- from several hundred people about what they experienced last night across the country watching that debate. So we'll have the results for you coming up here this hour in Columbus, Ohio.
Heidi back to you now in New York.
COLLINS: All right. Great. An awful lot to talk about, that's for sure. And still two more debates to go.
Bill, thanks so much.
Also this morning, Sanjay Gupta back with his series on the health of the president. This morning, he's looking at the worst-case scenario when someone tries to take the life of the president. What was learned after the Reagan assassination attempt? We'll talk about that.
Meanwhile, though, Jack Cafferty with us once again.
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Which candidate -- good morning, Heidi -- has the most convincing -- convincing message, he tried to say -- when it comes to the war in Iraq? That was the subject of the debate last night. Whose message resonated best with you?
AM@CNN.com is the e-mail address. We'll read a few letters a bit later in this hour.
COLLINS: Very good. Thank you, Jack.
Want to check on the stories "Now in the News," though, first this morning, with Rick Sanchez once again.
Possibly a new audiotape coming from Iraq?
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant in the news again. You know, the former Egyptian doctor, new message out this morning possibly from al Qaeda's number two man behind Osama bin Laden, of course.
The Arabic news channel Al Jazeera is airing a new audiotape which it says is from Ayman al-Zawahiri. The speaker makes several references to hotspots in the Muslim world, calling for more resistance. In fact, he says, "If we're captured or killed you should carry on the fight." It's not known when these tapes were actually recorded, we should add.
A fierce battle in the Iraqi city of Samarra. U.S. and Iraqi forces stormed into the city overnight, battling hundreds of insurgents for control of the region. At least 110 people were killed, including an American soldier.
The violence comes a day after a string of bombings through Iraq. At least 34 children were killed in the attacks, as well.
We're waiting for news this morning of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's condition, a story we've been following since yesterday afternoon. The prime minister was set to undergo what he called a routine procedure to correct a heart flutter. It's not clear at this hour if the operation was completed. Blair says that he will be back at work Monday.
And wish the man from Plains, Georgia, a happy birthday. Former President Jimmy Carter celebrating his 80th birthday today. The Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta is hosting several free events. Pianist Roger Williams is going to perform, and an exhibit on Carter's life and presidency, and it will be open to the public.
The man stayed in his home town his entire life. Never moved. He likes it there, he says.
COLLINS: Yes, definitely likes it there very much. All right. Rick Sanchez, thanks for that.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: President Bush and Senator John Kerry went head to head in their first presidential debate last night. During the 90-minute face-off, Kerry accused Bush of a colossal error in judgment in his handling of Iraq, while Bush defended his decision to go to war and questioned Kerry's ability to lead the war on terror.
A CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll taken just after the debate gave John Kerry a clear edge in the debate. When asked who did the best, 53 percent said John Kerry, 37 percent said Bush.
The Iraq issue front and center at last night's debate. Here now, national correspondent Kelly Wallace.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The war in Iraq dominated. Senator John Kerry forcefully trying to put to rest questions about his positions.
KERRY: I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?
WALLACE: And President Bush repeatedly stressing his opponent was sending mixed messages.
BUSH: I don't see how you can lead this country to succeed in Iraq if you say wrong war, wrong time, wrong place. What message does that send our troops? What message does that send our allies?
WALLACE: And that's how it went, 90 minutes strong of back and forth through the moderator.
KERRY: In answer to your question about Iraq and sending people into Iraq, he just said, "The enemy attacked us." Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us. Al Qaeda attacked us.
BUSH: Of course I know that Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that.
WALLACE: And the president trying to win the point.
BUSH: You'd better have a president who chases these terrorists down and brings them to justice before they hurt us again.
WALLACE: Stylistically, Kerry seemed more at ease. The president appeared a bit angry at times. There were no great one- liners, but a few attempts at humor.
BUSH: I won't hold it against him that he went to Yale.
WALLACE: Even a few moments where they said nice things about each other.
BUSH: I admire the fact that is he a great dad.
KERRY: And I have great respect and admiration for his wife.
WALLACE: And then the focus, their opponent's character flaws. Bush on Kerry...
BUSH: You cannot lead if you send mixed messages.
WALLACE: Kerry on Bush...
KERRY: It's one thing to be certain. But you can be certain and be wrong.
WALLACE (on camera): No surprise, each camp says their guy was the winner. But Senator Kerry, behind in the polls, had the most to lose. And initial reaction suggests he put himself back in the game.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, Coral Gables, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The next meeting between the two presidential candidates will be a town hall format next Friday in St. Louis, Missouri.
But Bill, last night was kind of a head-to-head, wasn't it? HEMMER: Yes, indeed it was, Heidi. And the one thing the president really tried to get at the senator from Massachusetts was whether or not he was consistent or not on his position, especially when it comes to Iraq.
Earlier today, John Edwards took that very question here on AMERICAN MORNING. Here's how he answered that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: You say again today that Iraq is a mess. Yet John Kerry again last night insists that within six months' time U.S. troops might be able to start coming home. How is that possible if Iraq is such a mess now?
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, what John said -- and he said it, I thought, very clearly -- was, number one, if we do the things we need to do to speed up the training of the Iraqis, to provide for their own security, if we have a new president with fresh credibility that can go to the international community, particularly to NATO, to convince them to get involved in this effort, if we speed up the reconstruction process, that over time, we will be able to relieve the burden on American troops.
He didn't give any exact timetable. There is no way to do that. But we do believe if these steps are taken, some of the things that we don't believe are being done right now, that we can do much better than we're doing now and relieve the burden on our troops. And that's what John said last night.
HEMMER: But again, President Bush came back again and the White House came back and said the inconsistencies shown in John Kerry's record have shown through yet again. How much are you concerned with those inconsistencies sticking with voters come November 2?
EDWARDS: I think what we saw in John Kerry last night was a strength, a conviction, a vision that we want to see in the president of the United States. I think he looked and sounded like a commander in chief.
To be honest with you, I think the American people saw the John Kerry that I know. This man is ready to keep this country safe. He is ready to finish the job and be successful in Iraq.
He's prepared, as he laid out very clearly, to find these terrorists, the leaders of al Qaeda and other terrorists, wherever they are and crush them and kill them and keep the American people safe. Now I think the American people saw a man who is ready to lead them and protect them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That was John Edwards from earlier today. He had a midnight rally here in Ohio last night. Today he's in Dayton, Ohio, in the southwestern part of the state. After that, we talked with Dan Bartlett from the Bush campaign. What John Edwards also said in that interview is that he believes now the dynamic for this race is changed based on what he considers the success of John Kerry last night. Here's how Mr. Bartlett responds to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Senator Edwards says he believes the dynamics of this race changed as of last night. Do you agree with that?
DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: No, actually I don't. Senator Edwards I think can be expected to want to talk well about his partner's representation last night, but I think last night what you saw is what the American people have been seeing for many weeks now, and that is that President Bush has a record, the strategy and the resolve to win the war on terror.
And again last night we heard a very conflicted Senator Kerry who talked about the mistakes and trying to say his decisions, his inconsistencies on Iraq were actually consistent, which is hard to believe. But also that somebody who is so conflicted I think is going to have a very difficult time in convincing the American people that he has a strategy to win in Iraq. And President Bush has a strategy, we're executing that strategy, and he had, I think, a very straightforward conversation with the American people about that strategy last night.
HEMMER: I know you believe the president won this debate. Our polling last night suggests otherwise. Does that concern you? Your reaction to those numbers today are what?
BARTLETT: No, I don't. I think the snapshots of unscientific polls are just that, snapshots. But again, last night the American people heard very different opinions and visions for the conduct of this war on terror.
President Bush is going to fight this war on offense. He talked about how the successes we're having both in Afghanistan, how we're doing the hard and necessary work in Iraq, how Libya has disarmed, how Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are now allies in the war on terror.
President Bush talked very clearly about the enemy we face. And it's a very difficult enemy. But the first part about winning in this war is understanding the enemy we face.
And I think last night President Bush demonstrated that he understands the stakes. He understands the stakes in Iraq, he understands the stakes in the broader war on terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Dan Bartlett from earlier today. Debate number two takes place a week from tonight in St. Louis, Missouri, the second of three debates in total.
And now the word games. Watch how many times last night we counted the number of key phrases were dropped in this campaign.
9/11 mentioned seven times last night in 90 minutes. Osama bin Laden 14. Saddam Hussein 29.
Weapons of mass destruction, 31. The war on terror, 44. And the issue of Iraq, 97.
Let's get back to Miami and our senior analyst, Bill Schneider, checking in with us.
Bill, and we mentioned -- excuse me you're in Washington. I apologize for that. Good morning nonetheless.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.
HEMMER: We can go back to our screen and show the results of this flash poll from last night. Fifty-three to 37 percent, those asked, believe John Kerry beat George Bush last night. You read these numbers how, Bill?
SCHNEIDER: That they are certainly helping for -- helping Kerry get back into this game, as Kelly Wallace said a minute ago. This sample whom we interviewed, who were all debate watchers, they started out, a majority of them voting for George Bush. They said they intended to vote for Bush. But yet, as we just saw, most of them said they thought Kerry won the debate.
I think the most important thing that Kerry accomplished is he reframed the campaign as a referendum on Bush's record, because for him the big risk was the campaign was being run as a referendum on Kerry's record, his conflicting statements, his inconsistencies. He seemed to be the central issue in this campaign, instead of the president of the United States. Well, I think what the debate did was refocus the attention of this campaign on the Bush record, not the Kerry record.
HEMMER: It is a snapshot, we mentioned that. Back on the screen, "Who expressed himself more clearly?" Of those surveyed last night, 60 percent say John Kerry, 32 percent say George Bush. Did you see it the same way, Bill?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, I did. I thought that it's going to be harder to caricature Senator Kerry from now on as someone who's all over the place.
I mean, he was clear. He was crisp. And miracle of miracles, the famously long-winded John Kerry, who explores every nuance of every issue, kept within the time limits.
Most of the time the red light didn't even go on. He seemed to have clear, crisp answers. And I think he explained his positions better than I've ever heard him do that.
HEMMER: Well, another question, "Who would be better commander in chief?" I find this most interesting. Before the debate, George Bush beat John Kerry 55 to 42 percent. After the debate last night, at least in this polling, anyway, very little change 54 to 44, Bush still on top. Does anything change now ultimately after debate number one?
SCHNEIDER: Well, the viewers of this debate still think President Bush is tougher, more decisive than John Kerry. They do think John Kerry is a smoother talker. He explained himself, he presented himself better. But I've always said winning a debate does not automatically mean you get to become president.
You know, in previous elections, the first debate was often won by the candidate who didn't end up winning the election. Al Gore beat George Bush in the first debate in 2000. Walter Mondale was considered by viewers to have won the first debate in 1984.
And you know who won the first debate in 1992? A gentleman named Ross Perot. None of them got to be president.
Americans see other qualities that they want in a president, like decisiveness and toughness, not just debating skills. I think Kerry did himself a lot of good. I think there's going to be a lot of buzz about this debate. I think we've got a real contest on our hands, but people are going to wait and see the next couple of debates before they firmly make up their minds.
HEMMER: Bill, thanks for that. Bill Schneider, again in our nation's capital this morning.
Two our viewers at home, a week from tonight, debate number two in St. Louis, between John Kerry and George Bush. And then Tuesday night here in Cleveland, Ohio -- make that in the northern part of the state of Ohio -- we're in Columbus -- we will see Dick Cheney and John Edwards face off in their one and only debate in this election season.
Coming up in the half-hour, Heidi, let you know what happened to those focus groups last night and the difference between the women and the men, depending on the candidate and when they spoke. So we'll have that for you just about 9:30 Eastern Time.
Back to you now in New York.
COLLINS: Yes, pretty significant. All right, Bill. Thanks so much.
And as you know, it will take days to see the full effect of last night's debate on voters. But we can give you a snapshot of how the candidates are doing across the electoral map before the debate.
The state of the union is pretty much the same as last week in terms of red and blue. If the election were held today, there would be 301 electoral votes for President Bush -- you see those states in red -- and 237 for Senator John Kerry, of course the states in blue.
Two hundred seventy, as you know, are needed to win. CNN's review of all the public polling across the nation shows Bush with an average five-point lead. That's up a point from the week before.
And the president has a solidified -- he has solidified his lead, that is, in states he won narrowly four years ago, including Nevada, West Virginia and Florida. This week's CNN poll in Florida, in fact, shows the president picked up two points among registered voters. He now leads there 49 to 44.
He's also picked up three points among likely voters there as well, now leading 52-43 in that category. But it's not all good news for President Bush.
Senator Kerry is gaining ground in Ohio now from 47 percentage points among registered voters in early September to 50 percent now. That puts him four points ahead there. Among likely voters, though, Kerry still trails by two points in the Buckeye State.
Again, we want to remind you this map was drawn before last night's debate. So the numbers may be changing as we speak. They could be painting a new political picture for next Friday's state of the union, which we will give you then.
Meanwhile, though, we want to check on the weather. Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers, once again, at the CNN Center for the very latest.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, the final installment of "The First Patient." Today, a worst-case scenario.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got one in the left chest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Chaos and turmoil. Dr. Sanjay Gupta walks us through what happens when the president is incapacitated.
Plus, Vioxx pulled off the market because of a link to heart attacks and stroke. But there were red flags for years. Why did it take so long to take action?
And the 9-year-old girl teachers and friends call Madam President. Her "Extra Effort" making a difference this campaign season.
It's all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Millions of arthritis sufferers who use the drug Vioxx are now looking for an alternative to ease their pain. The manufacturer is pulling Vioxx from the store shelves worldwide after ongoing studies found it increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Dr. John Abramson, Harvard Medical School professor, is joining us now. He's also the author of "Overdosed America." He's going to shed some light on this for us.
Dr. Abramson...
DR. JOHN ABRAMSON, AUTHOR, "OVERDOSED AMERICA": Clinical instructor.
COLLINS: Clinical instructor, OK. Good clarification there.
You know, the FDA claims that they have been looking at this drug for quite some time. Where's their responsibility in this? Did they know something earlier?
ABRAMSON: It's a very -- yes, that's a good question. And I think that's the most important question in all of this.
Merck did a study of the safety and effectiveness of Vioxx. It was published in 2000 in "The New England Journal of Medicine."
The data from that study that had been submitted to the FDA, and the FDA analysts reports on it, have been posted on the Web site of the FDA since 2001. That study shows the risk of heart attacks, strokes and blood clots is twice as high in people who take Vioxx.
So the FDA analysts knew this was going on. And, in fact, the FDA wrote a warning letter to Merck in 2001 in which they said they found it simply incomprehensible that Merck was claiming that Vioxx had a favorable safety profile.
COLLINS: Well, couldn't they then just shut down Merck's distribution of this?
ABRAMSON: It's unclear, or have -- the real problem here is that the docs who were doing what doctors are supposed to do, what you want your doctor to do, to read "The New England Journal," to guide their medical practice on the basis of what they learn, didn't have the right information to make the right decision.
So that "The New England Journal" article left good docs believing that this was a safer drug, when, in fact, the FDA analysts, one of the FDA analysts had said, "Based on this cardiovascular risk, we think that Neproxin (ph), one of the older drugs, might be the preferred drug." And they underlined "preferred" in the FDA report.
COLLINS: Interesting. Frightening, I should say. So then it also brings up the question of whether or not medical corporations can actually do this testing on drugs that they themselves are selling.
ABRAMSON: There's no question that when medical -- when the drug companies and other medical corporations do research, their purpose is what any corporation's purpose is when they engage in business activities, which is to sell more of their product and increase their profits. The problem we have -- and this issue with Vioxx I think really shows the problem we have is that most of the medical information that our doctors and patients believe to be true has come through this commercial filter. So that so often the simple things like exercising, eating a healthy diet, not smoking, are much more important for our health than taking drugs that are claimed to prevent osteoporosis or heart attacks or so forth.
COLLINS: Yes, but it kind of leaves you wondering, which drugs can I take and how do I know that they're really safe?
ABRAMSON: I think the first step is to understand that the odds of studies that are sponsored by the drug companies supporting their products are much higher than if these studies are done by nonprofit organizations. So doctors and patients I think need to work together...
COLLINS: Sure.
ABRAMSON: ... to decide together how to figure out what the best approach is.
COLLINS: That would be the ideal solution, of course.
ABRAMSON: Yes.
COLLINS: All right. Dr. John Abramson, we appreciate your time so much today.
ABRAMSON: Thank you. Pleasure to be here.
COLLINS: Back now to Bill once again in Ohio -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Heidi, thanks.
In a moment here, you're going to see what we did last night in Columbus as we watched the debate with 22 undecided voters. What a difference it is between the women and the men.
The women are on the yellow graph. The men are on the blue. We'll let you know what we found out live in Columbus, Ohio, in a moment as we continue our coverage on this AMERICAN MORNING from this critical battleground state.
Back in a moment with that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Going to check in with Jack once again and the "Question of the Day" about the debates.
Lots of people responding to this morning.
CAFFERTY: Yes. It was all about foreign policy this first go- around. The dominant foreign policy story of the last two years, of course, has been the war in Iraq. So the question is, do you think the candidates are delivering the right message about the war in Iraq?
We have gotten a lot of mail. Also getting a lot of mail about the little essay with the soldiers.
George writes from Canfield, Ohio, "President Bush by his own words exemplified that simplicity and repetition of message are as effective as his war in Iraq."
Timothy in Gainesville, Florida, "The president made a colossal error in judgment with regard to Iraq, and just like his comments with regard to John Kerry's inconsistencies, he seems to be a broken record, playing the same old song over and over again."
And about the soldiers, Carolyn in Pennsylvania, "The pictures of the soldiers took us straight back to where we should be at all times, focused on people rather than rhetoric. Thank you."
You're welcome. We'll do one more batch of e-mails before the broadcast concludes for this week.
COLLINS: Yes. Some beautiful pictures. You were saying going into it, you know, when you look at those you don't see red or blue when you talk about the red and blue states. You see soldiers.
CAFFERTY: Very cool.
COLLINS: All right, Jack, thanks so much.
Switching gears now, and still to come, going to kick off your weekend early with some "90-Second Pop." Singer Melissa Etheridge makes the leap to sitcom land. And you might be surprised by her new roommate.
Plus, can the talking fish of "Shark Tales" snuff out John Travolta's flame in "Ladder 49?"
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired October 1, 2004 - 8:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The only consistent about my opponent's position is that he's been inconsistent.
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I've had one position, one consistent position, that Saddam Hussein was a threat, there was a right way to disarm him and a wrong way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: So many messages on mixed messages. Is straight talk the standard for winning the first presidential debate?
U.S. and Iraqi forces trying to wipe out the insurgency in the Iraqi city of Samarra. A brigade-size defensive still going on.
And can big corporations be trusted to conduct medical studies on the products they sell? Fallout from the Vioxx decision on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING.
COLLINS: And good morning to you.
Last night's presidential debate is the big story of the morning. Voters finally got a chance to see the candidates together. And Bill Hemmer is in Columbus, Ohio, where he watched the debate with a group of independent voters.
Bill, good morning. What did they have to say to you?
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: They had quite a bit to say, actually, Heidi. And a lot of them looking forward to debate number two.
Here's the headline this morning, "Columbus Dispatch," the main paper in central Ohio. Pretty typical headline below the fold: "Debate Spar on War in Iraq." What I find interesting, though, are the quotes they used from John Kerry and George Bush.
For the senator: "This president has made, I regret to say, a colossal error of judgment." For the president: "He changes positions, John Kerry, and you cannot change positions in this war on terror." Truly the focus last night of what we all watched here in Columbus, Ohio.
We watched that with a group of 22 mostly undecided voters from the central Ohio area, and we gave them meters, from one to 10, numbers on a meter in front of them so they could gauge their reaction about how positive they felt about what they were seeing, what they were hearing down in Miami, Florida. A bit later this hour, we'll show you what we find out, and the differences also that we found between the genders, men and women. So we'll have that for you.
John Edwards is with us today. Dan Bartlett from the Bush camp also. Their reaction the morning after. And Bill Schneider looks at these polls that went out last night, a Gallup and CNN.
We went out and took a snapshot about -- from several hundred people about what they experienced last night across the country watching that debate. So we'll have the results for you coming up here this hour in Columbus, Ohio.
Heidi back to you now in New York.
COLLINS: All right. Great. An awful lot to talk about, that's for sure. And still two more debates to go.
Bill, thanks so much.
Also this morning, Sanjay Gupta back with his series on the health of the president. This morning, he's looking at the worst-case scenario when someone tries to take the life of the president. What was learned after the Reagan assassination attempt? We'll talk about that.
Meanwhile, though, Jack Cafferty with us once again.
Good morning.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Which candidate -- good morning, Heidi -- has the most convincing -- convincing message, he tried to say -- when it comes to the war in Iraq? That was the subject of the debate last night. Whose message resonated best with you?
AM@CNN.com is the e-mail address. We'll read a few letters a bit later in this hour.
COLLINS: Very good. Thank you, Jack.
Want to check on the stories "Now in the News," though, first this morning, with Rick Sanchez once again.
Possibly a new audiotape coming from Iraq?
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant in the news again. You know, the former Egyptian doctor, new message out this morning possibly from al Qaeda's number two man behind Osama bin Laden, of course.
The Arabic news channel Al Jazeera is airing a new audiotape which it says is from Ayman al-Zawahiri. The speaker makes several references to hotspots in the Muslim world, calling for more resistance. In fact, he says, "If we're captured or killed you should carry on the fight." It's not known when these tapes were actually recorded, we should add.
A fierce battle in the Iraqi city of Samarra. U.S. and Iraqi forces stormed into the city overnight, battling hundreds of insurgents for control of the region. At least 110 people were killed, including an American soldier.
The violence comes a day after a string of bombings through Iraq. At least 34 children were killed in the attacks, as well.
We're waiting for news this morning of British Prime Minister Tony Blair's condition, a story we've been following since yesterday afternoon. The prime minister was set to undergo what he called a routine procedure to correct a heart flutter. It's not clear at this hour if the operation was completed. Blair says that he will be back at work Monday.
And wish the man from Plains, Georgia, a happy birthday. Former President Jimmy Carter celebrating his 80th birthday today. The Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta is hosting several free events. Pianist Roger Williams is going to perform, and an exhibit on Carter's life and presidency, and it will be open to the public.
The man stayed in his home town his entire life. Never moved. He likes it there, he says.
COLLINS: Yes, definitely likes it there very much. All right. Rick Sanchez, thanks for that.
SANCHEZ: Thanks, Heidi.
COLLINS: President Bush and Senator John Kerry went head to head in their first presidential debate last night. During the 90-minute face-off, Kerry accused Bush of a colossal error in judgment in his handling of Iraq, while Bush defended his decision to go to war and questioned Kerry's ability to lead the war on terror.
A CNN-"USA Today"-Gallup poll taken just after the debate gave John Kerry a clear edge in the debate. When asked who did the best, 53 percent said John Kerry, 37 percent said Bush.
The Iraq issue front and center at last night's debate. Here now, national correspondent Kelly Wallace.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLY WALLACE, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The war in Iraq dominated. Senator John Kerry forcefully trying to put to rest questions about his positions.
KERRY: I made a mistake in how I talk about the war. But the president made a mistake in invading Iraq. Which is worse?
WALLACE: And President Bush repeatedly stressing his opponent was sending mixed messages.
BUSH: I don't see how you can lead this country to succeed in Iraq if you say wrong war, wrong time, wrong place. What message does that send our troops? What message does that send our allies?
WALLACE: And that's how it went, 90 minutes strong of back and forth through the moderator.
KERRY: In answer to your question about Iraq and sending people into Iraq, he just said, "The enemy attacked us." Saddam Hussein didn't attack us. Osama bin Laden attacked us. Al Qaeda attacked us.
BUSH: Of course I know that Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that.
WALLACE: And the president trying to win the point.
BUSH: You'd better have a president who chases these terrorists down and brings them to justice before they hurt us again.
WALLACE: Stylistically, Kerry seemed more at ease. The president appeared a bit angry at times. There were no great one- liners, but a few attempts at humor.
BUSH: I won't hold it against him that he went to Yale.
WALLACE: Even a few moments where they said nice things about each other.
BUSH: I admire the fact that is he a great dad.
KERRY: And I have great respect and admiration for his wife.
WALLACE: And then the focus, their opponent's character flaws. Bush on Kerry...
BUSH: You cannot lead if you send mixed messages.
WALLACE: Kerry on Bush...
KERRY: It's one thing to be certain. But you can be certain and be wrong.
WALLACE (on camera): No surprise, each camp says their guy was the winner. But Senator Kerry, behind in the polls, had the most to lose. And initial reaction suggests he put himself back in the game.
Kelly Wallace, CNN, Coral Gables, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: The next meeting between the two presidential candidates will be a town hall format next Friday in St. Louis, Missouri.
But Bill, last night was kind of a head-to-head, wasn't it? HEMMER: Yes, indeed it was, Heidi. And the one thing the president really tried to get at the senator from Massachusetts was whether or not he was consistent or not on his position, especially when it comes to Iraq.
Earlier today, John Edwards took that very question here on AMERICAN MORNING. Here's how he answered that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: You say again today that Iraq is a mess. Yet John Kerry again last night insists that within six months' time U.S. troops might be able to start coming home. How is that possible if Iraq is such a mess now?
SEN. JOHN EDWARDS (D-NC), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, what John said -- and he said it, I thought, very clearly -- was, number one, if we do the things we need to do to speed up the training of the Iraqis, to provide for their own security, if we have a new president with fresh credibility that can go to the international community, particularly to NATO, to convince them to get involved in this effort, if we speed up the reconstruction process, that over time, we will be able to relieve the burden on American troops.
He didn't give any exact timetable. There is no way to do that. But we do believe if these steps are taken, some of the things that we don't believe are being done right now, that we can do much better than we're doing now and relieve the burden on our troops. And that's what John said last night.
HEMMER: But again, President Bush came back again and the White House came back and said the inconsistencies shown in John Kerry's record have shown through yet again. How much are you concerned with those inconsistencies sticking with voters come November 2?
EDWARDS: I think what we saw in John Kerry last night was a strength, a conviction, a vision that we want to see in the president of the United States. I think he looked and sounded like a commander in chief.
To be honest with you, I think the American people saw the John Kerry that I know. This man is ready to keep this country safe. He is ready to finish the job and be successful in Iraq.
He's prepared, as he laid out very clearly, to find these terrorists, the leaders of al Qaeda and other terrorists, wherever they are and crush them and kill them and keep the American people safe. Now I think the American people saw a man who is ready to lead them and protect them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: That was John Edwards from earlier today. He had a midnight rally here in Ohio last night. Today he's in Dayton, Ohio, in the southwestern part of the state. After that, we talked with Dan Bartlett from the Bush campaign. What John Edwards also said in that interview is that he believes now the dynamic for this race is changed based on what he considers the success of John Kerry last night. Here's how Mr. Bartlett responds to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Senator Edwards says he believes the dynamics of this race changed as of last night. Do you agree with that?
DAN BARTLETT, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: No, actually I don't. Senator Edwards I think can be expected to want to talk well about his partner's representation last night, but I think last night what you saw is what the American people have been seeing for many weeks now, and that is that President Bush has a record, the strategy and the resolve to win the war on terror.
And again last night we heard a very conflicted Senator Kerry who talked about the mistakes and trying to say his decisions, his inconsistencies on Iraq were actually consistent, which is hard to believe. But also that somebody who is so conflicted I think is going to have a very difficult time in convincing the American people that he has a strategy to win in Iraq. And President Bush has a strategy, we're executing that strategy, and he had, I think, a very straightforward conversation with the American people about that strategy last night.
HEMMER: I know you believe the president won this debate. Our polling last night suggests otherwise. Does that concern you? Your reaction to those numbers today are what?
BARTLETT: No, I don't. I think the snapshots of unscientific polls are just that, snapshots. But again, last night the American people heard very different opinions and visions for the conduct of this war on terror.
President Bush is going to fight this war on offense. He talked about how the successes we're having both in Afghanistan, how we're doing the hard and necessary work in Iraq, how Libya has disarmed, how Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are now allies in the war on terror.
President Bush talked very clearly about the enemy we face. And it's a very difficult enemy. But the first part about winning in this war is understanding the enemy we face.
And I think last night President Bush demonstrated that he understands the stakes. He understands the stakes in Iraq, he understands the stakes in the broader war on terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HEMMER: Dan Bartlett from earlier today. Debate number two takes place a week from tonight in St. Louis, Missouri, the second of three debates in total.
And now the word games. Watch how many times last night we counted the number of key phrases were dropped in this campaign.
9/11 mentioned seven times last night in 90 minutes. Osama bin Laden 14. Saddam Hussein 29.
Weapons of mass destruction, 31. The war on terror, 44. And the issue of Iraq, 97.
Let's get back to Miami and our senior analyst, Bill Schneider, checking in with us.
Bill, and we mentioned -- excuse me you're in Washington. I apologize for that. Good morning nonetheless.
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning.
HEMMER: We can go back to our screen and show the results of this flash poll from last night. Fifty-three to 37 percent, those asked, believe John Kerry beat George Bush last night. You read these numbers how, Bill?
SCHNEIDER: That they are certainly helping for -- helping Kerry get back into this game, as Kelly Wallace said a minute ago. This sample whom we interviewed, who were all debate watchers, they started out, a majority of them voting for George Bush. They said they intended to vote for Bush. But yet, as we just saw, most of them said they thought Kerry won the debate.
I think the most important thing that Kerry accomplished is he reframed the campaign as a referendum on Bush's record, because for him the big risk was the campaign was being run as a referendum on Kerry's record, his conflicting statements, his inconsistencies. He seemed to be the central issue in this campaign, instead of the president of the United States. Well, I think what the debate did was refocus the attention of this campaign on the Bush record, not the Kerry record.
HEMMER: It is a snapshot, we mentioned that. Back on the screen, "Who expressed himself more clearly?" Of those surveyed last night, 60 percent say John Kerry, 32 percent say George Bush. Did you see it the same way, Bill?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, I did. I thought that it's going to be harder to caricature Senator Kerry from now on as someone who's all over the place.
I mean, he was clear. He was crisp. And miracle of miracles, the famously long-winded John Kerry, who explores every nuance of every issue, kept within the time limits.
Most of the time the red light didn't even go on. He seemed to have clear, crisp answers. And I think he explained his positions better than I've ever heard him do that.
HEMMER: Well, another question, "Who would be better commander in chief?" I find this most interesting. Before the debate, George Bush beat John Kerry 55 to 42 percent. After the debate last night, at least in this polling, anyway, very little change 54 to 44, Bush still on top. Does anything change now ultimately after debate number one?
SCHNEIDER: Well, the viewers of this debate still think President Bush is tougher, more decisive than John Kerry. They do think John Kerry is a smoother talker. He explained himself, he presented himself better. But I've always said winning a debate does not automatically mean you get to become president.
You know, in previous elections, the first debate was often won by the candidate who didn't end up winning the election. Al Gore beat George Bush in the first debate in 2000. Walter Mondale was considered by viewers to have won the first debate in 1984.
And you know who won the first debate in 1992? A gentleman named Ross Perot. None of them got to be president.
Americans see other qualities that they want in a president, like decisiveness and toughness, not just debating skills. I think Kerry did himself a lot of good. I think there's going to be a lot of buzz about this debate. I think we've got a real contest on our hands, but people are going to wait and see the next couple of debates before they firmly make up their minds.
HEMMER: Bill, thanks for that. Bill Schneider, again in our nation's capital this morning.
Two our viewers at home, a week from tonight, debate number two in St. Louis, between John Kerry and George Bush. And then Tuesday night here in Cleveland, Ohio -- make that in the northern part of the state of Ohio -- we're in Columbus -- we will see Dick Cheney and John Edwards face off in their one and only debate in this election season.
Coming up in the half-hour, Heidi, let you know what happened to those focus groups last night and the difference between the women and the men, depending on the candidate and when they spoke. So we'll have that for you just about 9:30 Eastern Time.
Back to you now in New York.
COLLINS: Yes, pretty significant. All right, Bill. Thanks so much.
And as you know, it will take days to see the full effect of last night's debate on voters. But we can give you a snapshot of how the candidates are doing across the electoral map before the debate.
The state of the union is pretty much the same as last week in terms of red and blue. If the election were held today, there would be 301 electoral votes for President Bush -- you see those states in red -- and 237 for Senator John Kerry, of course the states in blue.
Two hundred seventy, as you know, are needed to win. CNN's review of all the public polling across the nation shows Bush with an average five-point lead. That's up a point from the week before.
And the president has a solidified -- he has solidified his lead, that is, in states he won narrowly four years ago, including Nevada, West Virginia and Florida. This week's CNN poll in Florida, in fact, shows the president picked up two points among registered voters. He now leads there 49 to 44.
He's also picked up three points among likely voters there as well, now leading 52-43 in that category. But it's not all good news for President Bush.
Senator Kerry is gaining ground in Ohio now from 47 percentage points among registered voters in early September to 50 percent now. That puts him four points ahead there. Among likely voters, though, Kerry still trails by two points in the Buckeye State.
Again, we want to remind you this map was drawn before last night's debate. So the numbers may be changing as we speak. They could be painting a new political picture for next Friday's state of the union, which we will give you then.
Meanwhile, though, we want to check on the weather. Rob Marciano in for Chad Myers, once again, at the CNN Center for the very latest.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Still to come this morning, the final installment of "The First Patient." Today, a worst-case scenario.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's got one in the left chest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Chaos and turmoil. Dr. Sanjay Gupta walks us through what happens when the president is incapacitated.
Plus, Vioxx pulled off the market because of a link to heart attacks and stroke. But there were red flags for years. Why did it take so long to take action?
And the 9-year-old girl teachers and friends call Madam President. Her "Extra Effort" making a difference this campaign season.
It's all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Millions of arthritis sufferers who use the drug Vioxx are now looking for an alternative to ease their pain. The manufacturer is pulling Vioxx from the store shelves worldwide after ongoing studies found it increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Dr. John Abramson, Harvard Medical School professor, is joining us now. He's also the author of "Overdosed America." He's going to shed some light on this for us.
Dr. Abramson...
DR. JOHN ABRAMSON, AUTHOR, "OVERDOSED AMERICA": Clinical instructor.
COLLINS: Clinical instructor, OK. Good clarification there.
You know, the FDA claims that they have been looking at this drug for quite some time. Where's their responsibility in this? Did they know something earlier?
ABRAMSON: It's a very -- yes, that's a good question. And I think that's the most important question in all of this.
Merck did a study of the safety and effectiveness of Vioxx. It was published in 2000 in "The New England Journal of Medicine."
The data from that study that had been submitted to the FDA, and the FDA analysts reports on it, have been posted on the Web site of the FDA since 2001. That study shows the risk of heart attacks, strokes and blood clots is twice as high in people who take Vioxx.
So the FDA analysts knew this was going on. And, in fact, the FDA wrote a warning letter to Merck in 2001 in which they said they found it simply incomprehensible that Merck was claiming that Vioxx had a favorable safety profile.
COLLINS: Well, couldn't they then just shut down Merck's distribution of this?
ABRAMSON: It's unclear, or have -- the real problem here is that the docs who were doing what doctors are supposed to do, what you want your doctor to do, to read "The New England Journal," to guide their medical practice on the basis of what they learn, didn't have the right information to make the right decision.
So that "The New England Journal" article left good docs believing that this was a safer drug, when, in fact, the FDA analysts, one of the FDA analysts had said, "Based on this cardiovascular risk, we think that Neproxin (ph), one of the older drugs, might be the preferred drug." And they underlined "preferred" in the FDA report.
COLLINS: Interesting. Frightening, I should say. So then it also brings up the question of whether or not medical corporations can actually do this testing on drugs that they themselves are selling.
ABRAMSON: There's no question that when medical -- when the drug companies and other medical corporations do research, their purpose is what any corporation's purpose is when they engage in business activities, which is to sell more of their product and increase their profits. The problem we have -- and this issue with Vioxx I think really shows the problem we have is that most of the medical information that our doctors and patients believe to be true has come through this commercial filter. So that so often the simple things like exercising, eating a healthy diet, not smoking, are much more important for our health than taking drugs that are claimed to prevent osteoporosis or heart attacks or so forth.
COLLINS: Yes, but it kind of leaves you wondering, which drugs can I take and how do I know that they're really safe?
ABRAMSON: I think the first step is to understand that the odds of studies that are sponsored by the drug companies supporting their products are much higher than if these studies are done by nonprofit organizations. So doctors and patients I think need to work together...
COLLINS: Sure.
ABRAMSON: ... to decide together how to figure out what the best approach is.
COLLINS: That would be the ideal solution, of course.
ABRAMSON: Yes.
COLLINS: All right. Dr. John Abramson, we appreciate your time so much today.
ABRAMSON: Thank you. Pleasure to be here.
COLLINS: Back now to Bill once again in Ohio -- Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Heidi, thanks.
In a moment here, you're going to see what we did last night in Columbus as we watched the debate with 22 undecided voters. What a difference it is between the women and the men.
The women are on the yellow graph. The men are on the blue. We'll let you know what we found out live in Columbus, Ohio, in a moment as we continue our coverage on this AMERICAN MORNING from this critical battleground state.
Back in a moment with that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Going to check in with Jack once again and the "Question of the Day" about the debates.
Lots of people responding to this morning.
CAFFERTY: Yes. It was all about foreign policy this first go- around. The dominant foreign policy story of the last two years, of course, has been the war in Iraq. So the question is, do you think the candidates are delivering the right message about the war in Iraq?
We have gotten a lot of mail. Also getting a lot of mail about the little essay with the soldiers.
George writes from Canfield, Ohio, "President Bush by his own words exemplified that simplicity and repetition of message are as effective as his war in Iraq."
Timothy in Gainesville, Florida, "The president made a colossal error in judgment with regard to Iraq, and just like his comments with regard to John Kerry's inconsistencies, he seems to be a broken record, playing the same old song over and over again."
And about the soldiers, Carolyn in Pennsylvania, "The pictures of the soldiers took us straight back to where we should be at all times, focused on people rather than rhetoric. Thank you."
You're welcome. We'll do one more batch of e-mails before the broadcast concludes for this week.
COLLINS: Yes. Some beautiful pictures. You were saying going into it, you know, when you look at those you don't see red or blue when you talk about the red and blue states. You see soldiers.
CAFFERTY: Very cool.
COLLINS: All right, Jack, thanks so much.
Switching gears now, and still to come, going to kick off your weekend early with some "90-Second Pop." Singer Melissa Etheridge makes the leap to sitcom land. And you might be surprised by her new roommate.
Plus, can the talking fish of "Shark Tales" snuff out John Travolta's flame in "Ladder 49?"
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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